Monroe man buying Janesville radio stations

JANESVILLE—A Monroe-based radio station owner is expanding his reach with the purchase of two stations in Janesville.

Scott Thompson, who owns five stations in the Monroe and Freeport, Ill., markets, is buying 105.9 The Hog and ESPN Radio 1380 in Janesville from the Beaver-Dam-based Good Karma Broadcasting.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to expand into the local Janesville and Beloit markets,” Thompson said in a news release. “These stations are a perfect fit for our portfolio, and I look forward to providing local news, weather and sports to those markets.”

Thompson, who also practices law in Monroe, said he would retain all employees at the two Janesville stations and likely add one.

He said no programming changes are planned on the FM side of the dial.

As for the AM channel, he said listeners could expect “less ESPN and more local news.”

Thompson's largest station is 93.7 FM in Monroe, known as “The Big FM.” Earlier this year, Thompson hired John “Sly” Sylvester from the Madison market to host a weekday afternoon show on the station.

Thompson takes limited control of the Janesville stations Saturday. The transaction, however, is subject to approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected within 60 days.